Innovative Govanhill 'The People's Pantry' Opens Today

Communitynewspost

Sep 14

Hannah Mackintosh the Pantry Manager (left) & Willie, a volunteer from Crosspoint (right) outside the newly opened venture

by Natalie Whittle

An innovative community food initiative from the Govanhill Baths Community Trust opens on Cathcart Road today [Monday 14 Sep]. Named The People’s Pantry and operating via a low-cost membership model, the project aims to combat the food poverty that is acute in some parts of Govanhill.

Fatima Uygun, manager at Govanhill Baths, says “We looked for premises on that side of Govanhill, rather than the ‘trendy end’, because the majority of people who suffer from food poverty live around Cathcart Road. We also want it to be a food hub where people can have a dialogue about food. And we want it to look like an upscale Locavore [the community interest grocery on Victoria Road].”

A welcoming, dignified environment is a key part of the support offered by The People’s Pantry: “It’s quite unlike being in a queue at the food bank, where people can feel completely demoralised,” says Uygun. Though the food available will not be ‘free’ as such – it’s £3.50 to join, entitling members to £15 worth of shopping per week for £2.50 – the plan is to keep costs “as cheap as possible, so people can access it”.

Funded by Glasgow City Council and other partners, the pantry’s business model works by collecting food otherwise destined for landfill. “We’re doing a partnership with [the food waste charity] FareShare to collect food and take it to the pantry and we’re also working with local supermarkets, collecting items coming up to their use-by dates.”

There are plans to develop this “passive” model, in which there is little choice over stock, towards something more active and community-led. “We want to work with people who are growing things in their allotments and might have a surplus, and also with the local shops.”

A recent report by the Scottish Government on child poverty in Scotland noted the increased pressures created by the Covid 19 pandemic on single-parent families and minority ethnic families. To tackle child poverty, the Scottish Government has announced a £10-a-week Scottish Child Payment to eligible families, but the scheme won’t be rolled out until 2021.

The Scottish Health Survey in 2018 showed that 9 per cent of adults had ‘experienced food insecurity in the preceding 12 months’. Uygun says: ‘This is poverty where generations of a family have been unemployed.’ She notes how this food scarcity can exacerbate the problem of proper nutritional knowledge. ‘If you don’t get taught how to make food, how would you know? This generational memory doesn’t exist. We’ll also be showing people how to cook – you’d be surprised how many people don’t have an oven at home.”

To become a member of The People’s Pantry, download, complete and return this form